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The Nine Hells
The home of Lucifer and his armies of devils, Hell is the Lawful Evil afterlife. It is the ultimate fate of those who follow codes of ethics but still commit evil acts. Neutral evil, self-serving souls who lack a strong ethical code but are not utterly depraved, arrive instead in Hades or Niflheim. Chaotic Evil souls who are utterly depraved and lack any semblance of ethics fall even further to the abyss. Hell is divided into nine circles each specializing in punishing a different type of sinner and governed by a different archdevil with Lucifer dwelling in the ninth circle. Hell enforces torturous punishment for those whose vices outweigh their virtues rather than encouraging redemption and personal growth like heaven does. It is possible for those suffering in hell to truly repent and receive salvation from their fate but this is a rare occurrence as Lucifer's tortures are designed to break people's very spirits and convince them that they should accept their fate as his slaves for all eternity. Those that accept Lucifer as their master and are of some use in furthering his agenda are reborn as devils. Those who swore fealty to Lucifer in life can skip the torture and automatically become devils in their afterlife. Devils exist under a strictly ordered and oppressive caste system. The First Circle: Sloth The first circle of hell is governed by the archdevil Belphegor. It is the fate of those whose laziness caused them to forsake helping themselves and others. Souls damned here reside along the bleak, muddy shores of the river Acheron, where they are continually subjected to a cold rain that saps them of their strength. There is no pleasure to be found nor pain, only emptiness and lack of hope. Belphegor has his devils catch bland-tasting fish for the souls who reside here and then rations them in meager portions, stating simply that there is not enough to go around. This encourages some souls to try to steal or attack other souls for their food. These graver sins result in them being condemned to deeper layers of hell but show signs of evil ambition that Lucifer finds more useful. The Second Circle: Lust The second circle of hell is presided over by the archdevil Asmodeus. Here, rapists, degenerate perverts, child molesters, necrophiliacs, those who commit bestiality, human traffickers, those that knowingly infect others with sexually transmitted diseases and those whose sexual desires have otherwise resulted in the exploitation of others are whipped about naked in a terrible storm. Filled with burning desires, they are unable to reach one another but their moans and cries carry on the winds. Devils sometimes pluck these souls from the storm to drag them into violent sadomasochistic orgies in Asmodeus' pleasure palace. Those whom are able to impress Asmodeus with their powers of seduction may eventually be transformed into pleasure devils to use their talents to seduce other mortals to wickedness. Those whose lusts become murderous may be condemned to a deeper hell. The Third Circle: Gluttony The circle of gluttony is presided over by the archdevil Beelzebub. This circle is reserved for those whose literal appetites caused them to gorge themselves to an early grave rather than giving food to those starving and in need. These bloated souls farm mushrooms from plains of excrement and are constantly pelted by rain of urine. Biting flies and mosquitoes constantly buzz around them and Beelzebub regularly unleashes beasts with barbed quills that embed deep within layers of the damned souls' fat flesh to hunt and devour them. Damned eaten in this way re-spawn in this circle only to relive the nightmare again and again. Sometimes these souls turn cannibalistic, earning them condemnation to a deeper hell. Those who manage to slay any of the beasts will impress Beelzebub, which may result in them being transformed into devils. The Fourth Circle: Greed ''' The archdevil Mammon rules over this circle, reserved for those who hoarded wealth for selfish means and showed no charity to others. Damned souls toil away smelting gold, carrying it in giant sacks on their backs to Mammon horde, tallying it or erecting giant golden statues. Those caught stealing are thrown into molten vats of gold and their souls are bound to the coins. These cursed coins are distributed on the material plane and encourage those who possess them to solicit illicit services with them. Mammon is quite willing to cut deals with those souls who have proved particularly conniving in their schemes and dealmaking during life. He often offers to exempt them from time laboring in exchange for advising his mortal followers (which he often bribes with riches in exchange for their souls) on ways to amass more wealth and power on the material plane. Those who prove successful enough at this are transformed into devils and sent back to the material plane to supervise such endeavors. However, they are required to meet a monthly quota of souls sold with infernal contracts. Those that fail are pulled back into hell and put back to work. '''The Fifth Circle: Doubt The archdevil Astaroth rules this circle from within the Iron Fortress of Dis, which is surrounded by the swampy river Styx. Souls damned here never achieved anything and never assisted others because they were paralyzed by doubt and insecurity. They often possess nihilistic and self-deprecating philosophies but were too fearful or apathetic to take their own lives. These souls are submerged up to their chests in cold, clinging black muck and surrounded in a claustrophobic fashion by other souls who often complain of their misery. Astaroth hopes that this will make some among them callous to the suffering of others and cause them to hate them for their misery. He hopes that these souls eventually become motivated to beat their neighbors into silence and then, in a rage, develop enough ambition to beat their way through the swamp until they reach the shore. These souls impress Astaroth, who transforms them into devils that are dedicated to preying upon the weak on the material plane and convincing humans to abuse the weak. These devils may torment the depressed into committing suicide or convince people mock or beat or imprison the homeless. The Sixth Circle: Heresy The archdevil Baal governs this circle to which those who espouse philosophies of moral relativism are condemned along with those who distort the words of good aligned gods,commit evil in the names of good aligned gods, turn people away from the worship of good aligned gods and those that exploit the innocent to fuel evil magics. The heretics are locked within tombs which periodically are set fire to, causing their flesh to burn (only to grow back). They always dread the next burning. They are told that if they worship Lucifer and accept him as their only God and their only moral authority they will be freed and brought to worship at a black cathedral surrounded by the flaming tombs. Those that swear their absolute loyalty to Lucifer are transformed into spellcasting-focused devils. Baal then trains them in black magics and sends them out to share their knowledge with devil cults. The Seventh Circle: Violence The archdevil Moloch presides over this circle, where those who have committed violence against the innocent, violence against themselves, and violence against nature are condemned. . Violence against the innocent: murderers, those who make unjust wars and tyrants are submerged up to their necks and boiled in Phlegethon, a river of blood and fire. Devil archers shoot those who try to struggle their way out with flaming arrows. Those that swear to serve in Lucifer's armies are dragged out, transformed into devils, and conscripted. They are usually sent to fight against the demons of the abyss in the blood war. . Suicides are transformed into gnarled, brittle, thorny trees that are pecked at by harpies and can only speak when they are made to bleed (blood not sap). These trees produce fruits which, when broken open, release feelings of intense negativity - a mind affecting ability which tries to drive those affected to kill themselves. . Those who commit violence against nature wander through a desert constantly plagued by sandstorms and scalding heat. When it rains, it rains fire and there is no shelter to be found. The souls that suffer here include rampant polluters, those who hunt species to extinction for sheer sport, those who despoil and burn the lands they conquer as well as those who commit "unnatural acts" - extending their lives artificially through necromancy in an effort to escape the afterlife, etc. The Eighth Circle: Fraud The archdevil Belial rules over the Pandemonium, the court of Hell suspended on chains over deep, dark pits known as the Malebolge. Here, the archdevils met to conduct matters of state. There, panderers, flatterers, simoniacs false seers/fortune tellers, corrupt politicians, hypocrites, thieves, false counselors, sowers of discord, falsifiers, imposters and purjurers suffer different tortures. . Panderers and flatterers, those who feign love and lead people on for their own gain, are lashed by devils wielding hooked whips and made to march back and forth quickly along the bottom of the pit. . Simoniacs, those who give church or legal pardons for crimes in exchange for favors, perverting true justice, are entombed upside down within narrow tunnels in rock. Their bare feet are exposed and scalded by torches and hot irons. . False seers/fortune tellers have their heads twisted around backwards and are blinded by constantly flowing tears. They stumble around blindly, barefoot in a rocky pits, constantly falling, scraping themselves, smashing their feet, falling and breaking limbs, etc. . Corrupt politicians are submerged completely in boiling pitch, constantly suffocating and drowning and burning only to resurrect and die again and again. Those that come up for air are stabbed with pitch forks and forced back under. .Hypocrites are crucified with stakes through their hands and feet over pits and made to wear beautiful looking robes lined with heavy lead that weighs them down and strains their arms and legs. .Thieves are thrown into pits of serpents who coil around them, contorting them in painful bindings that break their bones, allow them to heal, and then break them all over again. They are bitten by a painful venom if they try to struggle free from their bonds. .False Counselors, those who used positions of authority to advise others to engage in fraud are suspended in a constant pillar of flame. The pain never ends, their flesh constantly regenerates but is burned black and they are always choking on their own ashes. Sowers of discord, whose who seek to cause division within society and cause it to fall, are repeatedly hacked apart by sword-wielding demons and then made to crawl about the ditch on their bellies, their limbs re-attaching as they approach. The limbs then re-attach themselves and the process begins anew. .Falsifiers, as a disease on society, are afflicted with numerous virulent diseases. Imposters suffer from rabies and attack their fellow damned. Counterfeiters have their stomachs bloated to the point where they are unable to move and are given a terrible thirst they cannot quench. Purjurers are affected by constant high fevers. The Ninth Circle: Treachery The ninth circle of hell, presided over by Lucifer, the king of Hell. Traitors to their friends, families or countries are frozen, rendered immobile for eternity, in the icy river Cocytus and lashed by frozen winds. For their cold blooded acts they are denied all warmth. Lucifer has a palace at the heart of this circle. Within it is an illusionary paradise for those that have earned Lucifer's utmost favor. The palace imitates the gardens of heaven, but the fruit, while delicious, is terribly addictive and causes painful withdrawl symptoms if not regularly consumed. Lucifer forces his servants to consume this so that they suffer terribly if they ever turn against him. The garden is filled with light, but it is so bright that they must forever squint and it stings their eyes. In addition, Lucifer's chosen servants are made to perform a daily regimen of highly monotonous tasks such as tending his gardens and bringing Lucifer food whenever he asks. They are also regularly required to make music and dance in performances to glorify Lucifer or create art that celebrates his greatness. No other form of artistic expression is tolerated. Even pleasure is stripped of free will. The women here have no right to refuse any of Lucifer's advances. The men are forced to fight for Lucifer's entertainment and to earn the privilege of laying with any of his women. No true love can be found here for the servants are permitted to love only Lucifer. This false heaven, deprived of all freedom, is a reflection of Lucifer's vision for the cosmos. All must be be beaten down and subjugated so that they are made to live as he - the perfect being- sees fit. Only then will existence be free of corruption.